Although it features some nice trumpets, I can't say I'm that keen on 'Close To You', the number 38 from The Brand New Heavies, while the number 37 entry credited to MC Spy D And Friends turns out to be the work of Brian May. And since 'The Amazing Spiderman' is terrible, it's no surprise. Although I loved some of their work, The Cranberries' number 35 'I Can't Be With You' firmly establishes Delores O Riordan's voice as an acquired taste, and lacks the appeal of their other singles. As for Aaliyah's number 32 'Age Ain't Nothing But A Number', I don't like this bland style of RnB and I don't care much for the song either. I wasn't aware of the BBC comedy series The Glam Metal Detectives, but I remember the number 29 hit that it spawned, 'Everybody Up!', which sounds worse now than it did then. Sophie B Hawkins scores a number 24 entry with the nauseatingly lightweight 'As I Lay Me Down', while Des'Ree's notoriously dull 'You Gotta Be' gets a re-release and enters at number 19.
Sparks deliver an infectious helping of high energy, euro-flavoured melodrama with the brilliant 'When I Kiss You I Hear Charlie Parker Playing', which comes in at 36, Rockford Files and the excellent house floorfiller 'You Sexy Dancer' enter at 34, while the Hardfloor mix of Mory Kante's 1987 gem 'Yeke Yeke' comes in at number 25.
Dodgy's wonderful 'Making the Most Of' was re-recorded for a single release, which reached number 22. The guitar solo is excellent, and Britpop era brass combo The Kick Horns were more prominent on the song, but the verses just don't sound right compared to the original from the 'Homegrown' album. Faith No More's rocking 'Digging The Grave' comes in at 16, but it's three 90s indie classics that provide the three highest new entries this week, all fine songs that have gone on to stand the test of time. At number 11, the beautiful 'Ten Storey Love Song' was the second single from the second Stone Roses album 'The Second Coming', and the B-sides 'Moses' and 'Ride On' were the last new songs that the band released. At number 9, the sound of Summer 95 arrives early with 'Wake Up Boo', which gives the Boo Radleys the highest new entry. It's a shame none of their other (and better) songs made it as high.
But my pick of the week goes to the number 17 entry, Radiohead's classic 'High And Dry', one of the band's most infectious and anthemic songs, and one that still works magic 20 years later. 'High And Dry' was taken from their magnificent second album 'The Bends'. According to Wikipedia: ""High And Dry" was recorded during the Pablo Honey sessions but was dismissed by the band, who thought that it sounded like a Rod Stewart song(!). However, during the sessions for The Bends it was rediscovered and remastered, as it was felt that it worked well with the rest of the album's content. The version that appears on the album is the original demo; it was never re-recorded. The song is widely regarded as Radiohead's most accessible pop hit, and was a live favorite, though it has not been performed in almost two decades. In a 2007 interview with Pitchfork Media, Thom Yorke stated that he did not like the song, saying "It's not bad... it's very bad". He also stated that he was pressured into including the song on The Bends."
Unbelievably, 'The Bends' is exactly 20 years old today (February 13). A powerful and dynamic record that sounds just as brilliant now as it did when I first heard it two decades ago. It sounds absolutely timeless.
Meanwhile in the album chart, The Fall's 'Cerebral Caustic' enters at 67. Certainly not one of their best albums, although 'The Joke', 'Don't Call Me Darling' and a few other tracks provide stand out moments. Meanwhile, Tricky is at number 13 after releasing the superb 'Maxinquaye', which entered at number 3 a week earlier, and Leftfield's seminal 'Leftism' is at number 35, spending its 5th week on the chart. PJ Harvey's 'To Bring You My Love' enters this week's chart at number 12.
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